Legends of Pandaria
by K. C. Trexler
Summary: Lily Silentpaw and Cinder arrive in Stormwind. But shortly after arriving, news reaches King Varian Wrynn that his son's ship has come under attack and run aground on an uncharted isle in the South Seas. Sending his best agents along with Lily and Cinder to find Anduin, the pair of friends are drawn into a much greater adventure than they ever thought possible. A MoP adaptation.
1. Distress Call

World of Warcraft and all related characters and places are copyrights of Blizzard Entertainment. All non-official characters are copyrighted to me. Do NOT use without permission.

 **Departure (Alliance)**

"Mmm…I can smell the food coming from the Pig and Whistle Tavern already," said Lily Silentpaw, a young female pandaren in her early twenties, with light brown fur covering her body except for the cream fur that covered her face. A foxlike tail swished behind her as she walked, her body draped in a simple green tunic and loose-fitting black pants. A simple wooden staff was attached to her back with a jug dangling by a small rope at the base of the staff. Her long brown hair was tied into a giant ponytail, the bangs draping over her green eyes colored a bright pink.

"You don't want to know what I smell, I imagine," said the high elf that was walking alongside her. He looked to be fairly young himself, with black spiky hair, purple robes with gold trim, and green eyes that held a hint of purple fire behind them adorning his look. Hearing that response, Lily only smiled and looked up at her friend as they neared the end of the path leading into Stormwind City.

"Why? What do you smell Cinder?" asked Lily. A disgusted look crossed the high elf's face.

"I believe I'm smelling the stables…" he said flatly. Lily only laughed lightly at hearing that, returning her attention forward.

"Well, then I'll have to take you to the tavern I mentioned so you can properly smell the food, then eat your fill," said Lily. As the pair came up to the giant gateway leading into the city, the two guards stationed at the entrance snapped to attention.

"How many times have I told you two to not do that when I'm coming or leaving the city?" asked Lily, a look of annoyance crossing her face as she came to a stop.

"Sorry Lily. Force of habit," said the left guard, relaxing.

"You too, Charles," said Lily, looking over at the right guard.

"Uh…James…ma'am," said the right guard, relaxing as well. A look of surprise crossed Lily's face as she turned to the first guard.

"Where is Charles?" asked Lily.

"On leave to see his family in Redridge," said the guard.

"So he decided to take my advice to heart after all? Good for him," said Lily.

"Um…If you don't mind my asking, who is that with you?" asked the first guard.

"Oh, how rude of me, I am sorry Jules," said Lily, grabbing a surprised Cinder by the hand and pulling him towards the guard. "This is my new friend Cinder."

"A pleasure," said Jules, reaching out to shake the high elf's hand. An awkward smile crossed Cinder's face as he reached out and took the human's hand into his own.

"The pleasure is mine," said Cinder.

"By the way, Lily," said Jules, releasing Cinder's hand and turning back towards the pandaren. "I don't know if you know them or not, but a couple of pandaren just came through here about fifteen minutes ago. Seemed friendly enough," said Jules.

"I don't trust the one with the big jade pillar myself," said James.

"There are other pandaren here in Stormwind?" asked Lily, surprise evident on her face.

"Yep. They wanted to meet King Wrynn," said Jules. "I told them to go ask General Clay if he'd show them to the keep."

"I am going to see these pandaren myself. I haven't seen another of my race since I left Shen-zin Su," said Lily. She then started running down the bridge leading into the city.

"Hey! Wait up!" shouted Cinder as he took off after her.

* * *

"And that is why I will _not_ allow fraternizing with the enemy. Do I make myself clear?" asked King Varian Wrynn, his back facing two pandaren, one a black and white-furred male with a thin long beard, a good sized jade pillar under his right arm, dressed in a black and gray robe. The other was a gray-furred female with matching gray hair done up with ornamental chopsticks in the back of her hair wearing a sky blue outfit with pink trim. The trio was now in King Wrynn's private garden sanctuary inside of Stormwind Keep, the two pandaren being told the laws of the land.

"Y-yes, my king…perfectly clear…" said the girl pandaren, a small hint of sadness in her eyes as her gazed turned to the floor slightly.

"Now then, there is one more thing I want to see," said King Wrynn, turning back around to face the pair. "Recently I was graced with the presence of one of your race. In the short time she was here, she taught me much of the fabled pandaren fighting style." A smile crept onto Varian's face as he took a fighting stance he had learned from his time as "Lo'Gosh" in the fighting arenas of the orcs. "I would like to see how much I've learned." The two pandaren exchanged glances, then the female looked back at the King, a worried look on her face.

"You can't possibly expect me to fight you, do you my king?" asked the girl pandaren.

"I want to know that you can fight if you need to. And I'd like to test myself against a worthy opponent," said Varian.

"Well…Alright…But I have a bad feeling about this," said the girl, taking her own fighting stance.

"Whenever you're ready, my friend," said Varian. It took only a moment, but the girl pandaren shot forward, a spear handed thrust aimed right at Varian's chest. But in the same moment, Varian read her movements, seeing the same discipline as his old teacher had used, and countered her thrust with his right arm as it blocked the attack. A surprised look crossed the girl's face at her attack being blocked, Varian resetting his stance.

"Surely you can do better than that, pandaren," taunted Varian.

"Forgive me," said the girl, resetting her own stance. "I will actually try to hit you this time."

"Please do," said Varian. The girl immediately went on the attack again, a flurry of kicks and punches being thrown at the human king, only to have each countered by him. Realizing she was getting nowhere fast, the girl retreated several steps away from the king and reset her stance again.

"Come on, pandaren. Hit me!" cried Varian. But this time, instead of taking the offensive, the girl instead closed her eyes, concentrating on the sole task of hitting the king. Varian smiled as he saw that the pandaren was finally getting serious. Several seconds ticked by, till the girl suddenly opened her eyes and sprang forward at Varian, who prepared to counter her yet again. But just before the girl reached him, a movement directly behind the pandaren where the entrance to the garden was at caught the human king's attention, distracting him just slightly. It would prove to be enough as the pandaren threw a punch that caught Varian clean in the chest, knocking the human back several feet and to the ground as the air was knocked from him.

"Oh my gosh! I did not mean to hit you that hard!" cried the girl, instantly running over to his side.

"Stay away from him!" shouted a voice from behind the pandaren, causing all three of them to look over at the entrance to the garden where Lily and Cinder were running in their direction.

"I swear it was an accident!" said the girl defensively. Suddenly, a loud fit of laughter caught all of their attention as Varian got into a seated position.

"It's okay, both of you. That's what I get for letting my guard down for a split second," said Varian. He then looked up at the girl. "You fight very well."

"Wait a second…Aysa!?" cried Lily as she and Cinder came into the garden clearing, coming to a stop to get a better look at the girl. The female pandaren also regarded her for a second before her own face lit up.

"Lily? Is it really you?" asked the girl.

"By the Jade Serpent, it is you!" laughed the male pandaren, setting his pillar on the ground.

"And Jojo's here too?" said Lily, looking over at the male pandaren.

"Friends of yours Lily?" asked Varian as he rose to his feet.

"Yes," said Lily as she walked up to Aysa, embracing her in a hug. "It is so good to see you, my friend! How did you come to be here?" she asked, releasing the other pandaren from the hug.

"We decided to join the Alliance after they helped us save Shen-zin Su," said Aysa.

"Save Shen-zin Su? Why? What happened?" asked Lily, a look of worry crossing her face.

"It does not matter at this point. He is safe, that is all that matters," said Aysa.

"And how is Master Shang?" asked Lily. At this, Aysa closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

"I am sorry…but he…," said Aysa, tears starting to appear in her eyes.

"Oh no…When did it happen?" asked Lily.

"Shortly before we left. His staff now rests with the staves of all the masters to have come before him," said Aysa.

"He was a great teacher…I will miss him," said Lily. The sound of someone clearing their throat caught everyone's attention to the garden entrance where General Clay was standing.

"Your Highness. We just received word from the convoy that was to rendezvous with the royal flagship and its part of the fleet…The news isn't good…" said Clay. Snapping to attention, Varian started walking towards the garden entrance.

"I apologize pandaren, but I'm going to have to take my leave of you. You are free to explore the city to your heart's content. No one will give you any problems," said Varian as he left the garden, leaving the three pandaren and the high elf behind.

"What do you think is going on?" asked Jojo.

"I do not know. But the General mentioned the royal flagship. As I recall, Prince Anduin was a passenger aboard it. They were headed for the far South Seas to chart navigational routes if I recall correctly," said Lily.

"Do you think he is in trouble?" asked Cinder, speaking for the first time since the pair had arrived in the garden.

"I'm not sure. But you and I are going to find out," said Lily. She then turned to Aysa and Jojo. "I would not suggest following us. The king barely trusts me enough as it is to enter his chambers without being summoned."

"Very well. Then Jojo and I will take a look around this city and see if we can't find someplace to stay for the time being," said Aysa.

* * *

In King Wrynn's private war chambers, the human leader stood anxiously over a large map of the known world laid across a table with several model Alliance ships dotting the seas of the map as his advisors filled him in on everything they knew that involved the royal flagship.

"The convoy delivering supplies to _The Vanguard_ arrived at the remains of a battle. They made a thorough sweep of the wreckage, but found no sign of Admiral Taylor or his ship," said Sky Admiral Rogers, the female human who commanded the airship _Skyfire_.

"Two hundred ships at my disposal…Yet the one carrying my _son_ goes missing!" cried Varian, slamming a fist onto the table.

"We received a distress call just moments before you entered from Admiral Taylor, Your Majesty, but it was distorted," said a purple male night elf with light purple hair and beard wearing a black leather suit, catching Varian's attention. It was at this moment that Lily and Cinder walked into the room. Everyone glanced over at the two, including King Wrynn, but when he said nothing and returned his attention to his advisor, everyone else knew he had silently given the okay for them to be there.

"Show me whatever you have Rell," said Varian as the night elf walked over to a scrying bowl. Waving his hand over it, a ghostly image of Admiral Taylor appeared over it.

"We have been drawn off course…Horde air fleet…Many casualties…" said the image as it faded in and out of existence. Varian watched with fear etched on his face. Fear for his son's life. At the same time, Lily's own face was matching that fear. She had gotten to know the Prince quite well during her time in Stormwind, enough that each of them called the other friend. "Shipwrecked on an uncharted isle…But the White Pawn is accounted for…Repeat, the White Pawn is safe…

"Anduin…" whispered Varian, his fear easing substantially.

"Surprise attack! Requesting immediate…" shouted Admiral Taylor's image, reigniting Varian's fear. "If anyone is receiving…" And then the image faded, leaving behind nothing but air in its wake.

"Sir, the Seventh Fleet has been dispatched to the location of the distress call, but it could take weeks-" said Admiral Rogers before Varian whipped around from facing the scrying bowl, causing her to become silent.

"There's no time to waste. Admiral Rogers, how soon would it take the _Skyfire_ to reach that location?" asked Varian.

"About a day at full speed, if the weather permits," said the Admiral.

"Then we'll send a small elite team to secure this new land…And bring back my son," said Varian. He then looked over at the night elf. "Rell. Gather the best SI:7 agents you have and prepare to leave within the hour."

"Of course, Your Majesty," said the night elf, saluting before he turned and walked out of the chamber.

"Admiral, I want the _Skyfire_ to be ready to leave by the time Nightwind's team is ready to take off," said Varian as he looked over at Admiral Rogers.

"It will be done, King Wrynn," she said, saluting and following after Rell. As she passed by Lily and Cinder, the two of them cautiously started to cross the room towards the human king as he sat in his chair behind the table.

"I am sorry about what has happened, Varian," said Lily.

"Do you see now why I say the Horde are nothing but animals?" asked Varian, glaring at the young pandaren with a look of anger in his eyes. "My son was on a navigational survey of the area. They weren't near _any_ Horde controlled areas, yet their fleet still attacked us unprovoked."

"That may be, but I think it has more to do with their Warchief than the citizens themselves," said Lily. "From the stories I've heard about this…Hellscream…they probably fear his wrath more than they fear taking on your people."

"Perhaps…But it does not excuse their actions by any stretch," said Varian. Looking over at Cinder, he relaxed a little bit. "But where are my manners? You brought someone with you when you came back, and all I've done is ignore him. Who might you be?"

"I am Cinder, Your Highness," said the high elf, walking up in front of Varian before giving him a small bow. But as Cinder's eyes locked with the human king's, the latter tensed up substantially.

"You…You are no high elf," said Varian as he stood up, unsheathing the sword that was at his hip. "Your eyes have a feature to them that I know all too well, dragon. I also know that the color of flame that flickers in the backs of your eyes give away which color flight you belong to. And yours is purple, just like the Twilight Dragonflight's color!"

"Varian stop! It is not what you think!" cried Lily.

"I see you have played upon her trusting nature to get to me, Twilight. Well, it won't work," said Varian. By now Cinder was backing away from the human king, his hands up in a defensive nature.

"No! I would never use Lily for something like that!" cried Cinder.

"Play innocent if you want to, dragon! You'll die all the same!" cried Varian as he leaped over the table at Cinder, his sword raised back to deliver a killing stroke. But before he even covered half of the distance between the two of them, Varian was caught in the stomach by a flying kick from Lily, sending him crashing to the table behind him and falling off it to the floor. Cinder turned to run, only to be stopped by Lily's voice.

"Stop Cinder! He will not try that again. Stay here so we can resolve this without causing the whole keep to come after you," said Lily.

"You would…ah…defend this monster?" asked Varian as he slowly stood back up, holding his stomach where Lily's kick had landed.

"He is not a monster, Varian. He is my friend," said Lily. Shocked etched its way onto Varian's face as he heard Lily give her proclamation.

"But…he is a Twilight Dragon! They are the evil creations of Deathwing himself!" said Varian.

"Maybe so, but Cinder is good! He has no connections to Deathwing or the Old Gods! Kalecgos confirmed that and Alexstrasza herself spared him! Varian…he saved my life from the Twilight's Hammer on Hyjal only a handful of days ago," said Lily. Hearing that, Varian looked over at Cinder.

"Is that true, dragon?" asked Varian.

"It is. Lily saved my life, and I saved hers," said Cinder. Varian sighed after hearing that, then slowly sheathed his sword.

"Then you have my thanks, Cinder," said Varian. "You saved the life of one of the closest friends I have in these dark times. I've met with the Life-Binder, if only briefly. If she was willing to spare you, then who am I to argue."

"Thank you for understanding Varian," said Lily.

"I might be a ruler, but I don't have a heart of stone," said Varian as he walked around the table to step foot in front of the pair again. "Now then. I have a favor to ask of you, Lily."

"And that would be?" asked Lily, curiosity crossing her face.

"You know what's at stake in this mission we're about to launch. I would be eternally grateful if you would lend us your aid in finding my son," said Varian. He then looked down at the ground. "Truth be told, while I trust that Rell's team will find him, I'd feel much better knowing that an accomplished fighter such as yourself was with them if only to have a friend be the one to find him."

"You do not have to ask me, Varian. I will gladly help find Anduin and make sure he comes back safely," said Lily.

"As will I," said Cinder, taking a step in their direction. At this, Varian's good nature left him as he turned his gaze towards the young dragon.

"Unlike Lily, you haven't earned my trust to take care of something of this much importance to me, Twilight," said Varian. Now it was Cinder's turn to give a frown of annoyance.

"I do not want to go for the sake of your son, human. I pledged myself to protect Lily from whatever dangers may come her way. Whether I will do this peacefully as part of the team you are sending or I simply scare everyone on your airship to death as I follow it in my dragon form is up to you," said Cinder.

"You will _not_ speak to me in such a manner, dragon or not!" hissed Varian. Suddenly Cinder's body burst into purple flames, his form growing larger as he morphed into his dragon form, the purple fires fading as he finished the transformation, standing nearly twice as high as either Lily or Varian.

"I _will_ speak in such a manner if I have to!" roared Cinder.

"Cinder stop this!" shouted Lily. Unlike when he was talking to Varian, Cinder shrank away as he heard Lily's voice call him off. Giving a sigh, the Twilight Dragon lowered his head.

"Forgive me, King Wrynn. I…forget my manners," said Cinder. Suddenly the door to the war room burst open, a dark skinned draenei female with white hair done up in a ponytail dressed in a simple white robe with gold trim standing in the doorway.

"My King! Is it true what happened to-" said the draenei before her voice caught in her throat as she saw Cinder towering over the room's other two occupants. "Dr-dragon!" she cried.

"It's alright Malani!" shouted Varian, causing the draenei to stop mid turn. "This dragon isn't here to cause any problems."

"But King Wrynn…It's not just _a_ dragon, it's a Twilight Dragon," said the draenei meekly.

"Trust me, my friend. He will not harm anyone," said Lily's voice softly. Lily then looked over at Cinder. "I think it would be wise to return to your high elf form now." Cinder nodded before his form once again burst into purple flames, this time his body shrinking as it morphed back into his mortal form. The draenei regarded Cinder for a few seconds longer, then cautiously stepped into the room and walked up to Varian.

"Now then, what has you all worked up like this Malani?" asked Varian.

"I heard that _The Vanguard_ was attacked and ran aground somewhere in the South Seas," said Malani, her eyes full of fear. "I just wanted to know if you have any news as to whether or not my sister is okay?"

"Nothing I'm afraid…" said Varian, looking away from the draenei. "But I'm sending a rescue team to retrieve the survivors and make sure Anduin is safely returned here."

"Let me go too, my King," said Malani, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"I…appreciate that you want to help, Malani. But you aren't a fighter," said Varian.

"You are right. I am not a fighter. But if there are injured, my healing skills will be invaluable. And besides, I must know if my sister Ventasa lives," said Malani.

"Let her go, Varian," said Lily, catching the two's attention. "I remember Ventasa was Anduin's personal bodyguard, right?"

"That is right," said Malani. "If Anduin is still alive, then I'm certain Ventasa will be with him. I want to find them both to set my heart at ease." Varian closed his eyes, sighing slightly.

"Very well," he said. "Go see Nightwind. He's the one prepping the team I am sending."

"Thank you King Wrynn!" said Malani happily as she turned and ran out of the room.

"Now then..." said Varian, looking over at Cinder, who returned the gaze. "I can tell from your…outburst…that you are adamant about staying at Lily's side. I will allow you to go under _one_ condition."

"And what is that?" asked Cinder, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"That the crew of the _Skyfire_ is aware of who you really are and that you will obey their commands," said Varian.

"I obey only myself and Lily, end of the discussion," said Cinder.

"You are not making this any easier dragon…" muttered Varian. He then nodded. "I trust Lily enough that if you swear to obey her, I will allow you to go."

"You have my word that I won't disobey her," said Cinder.

"Oh I don't want to have that kind of control over you Cinder," said Lily, sadness in her voice. Cinder turned to her, a small smile on his face.

"It's alright Lily. This is what I pledged to do as your protector," said Cinder.

"Then it is done. When you are ready, rendezvous with the _Skyfire_. She won't be hard to miss. It'll be the only airship in Stormwind airspace," said Varian. Lily and Cinder both nodded, then gave a small bow before turning and walking towards the war room's exit. "Just promise me one thing, Lily." Hearing Varian caused Lily to turn back towards him. "When you see my son, tell him I…I am sorry I wasn't there."

"It is not your fault Varian. Anduin knows that as well as you do," said Lily. Varian held up a hand.

"I know…I just…Please tell him…" said Varian. A smile crossed the pandaren's face as she saw the High King of the Alliance show his true self to her once more. The human she had come to call a friend.

"I will tell him, Varian…Count on it," said Lily.

* * *

A little over a day later as the _Skyfire_ continued its journey to the coordinates of Admiral Taylor's distress call, an annoyed Cinder walked up to Lily as she sat at the bow of the ship, her legs crossed and her arms held out to her sides with her hands in a certain pose, her eyes closed in deep meditation. Sensing the dragon's presence, she broke her meditation and turned her head around to look up at him.

"I can sense something is bothering you, my friend," said Lily.

"The crew only looks at me with severe distrust…" said Cinder, sighing as he sat down next to the pandaren.

"I see…It is only natural for them to, all things considered," said Lily.

"I know…Doesn't make it any easier to put up with," he replied. He turned his gaze towards the bow, seeing that the ship was about to enter a dense, misty fog. Back at the helm of the ship, Admiral Rogers squinted her eyes as the ship entered the fog, uneasy that they were entering into a near zero visibility airspace. After nearly twenty more minutes and looking over her instruments a few times, she slowed the ship to a crawl.

"Rell!" she hollered to the lower deck where the night elf was looking over the side of the ship. "We should be right around where Admiral Taylor's distress signal was coming from! Can you see anything down below?"

"No…nothing but dense fog…" said Rell as he looked with strained eyes. Suddenly, something very faint caught his eyes. "Wait! I see land!" he said with elation. However, that quickly dissolved when the second thing he saw with his eyes became clear. "Horde ships off the starboard bow!" Instantly the ship was alive as the crew scrambled to their battle positions.

"That's an entire Horde base down there!" shouted Rogers, taking in the sight of a nearly completed Horde encampment on the shores of the land below them. "Battle stations everyone! Let's go kill us some Horde!"

"Oh no! I was afraid this might happen," said Lily as she and Cinder stood up and looked over the bow, seeing the base down below.

"What do we do?" asked Cinder, looking over at Lily.

"You two, get ready to engage the enemy on the ground!" shouted Rogers to them.

"We are not here to fight," said Lily, catching Admiral Rogers's attention, as well as Malani and a few other crew members near the Admiral. "Cinder and I are here to find Anduin, not fight the Horde."

"We are at war, pandaren," said Rogers as she walked across the deck and up to Lily, putting her face right in the pandaren girl's as her eyes narrowed. "If you will not fight our enemies, then you have no place on my ship."

"So be it," said Lily. She then turned to Cinder. "Come on. I saw a village not far from that Horde base. We can ask the locals what they know of what has happened here in the last few days." Cinder nodded before transforming into his dragon form, causing Rogers to quickly back away from the dragon as he leaned down to the ground, Lily climbing on his back. Once she was securely on his back, Cinder gave a flap of his wings, taking off the deck as he headed in the direction of the village.


	2. Garrosh's Mission

**Garrosh's Mission**

The morning air of Orgimmar still felt out of place compared to her old home in Silvermoon City for the petite blood elf. Day in and day out the dry, arid conditions of the orc capital would seem commonplace for her by now. Alas, she was brought up in pampered conditions in her youth. And despite living in Orgrimmar's Cleft of Shadow for nearly a year now, it hadn't gotten any better.

Sighing, she continued to rearrange the tomes on her bookshelf for the third time this week. Her "assistant" would always put them back based on what knowledge they contained instead of alphabetically like she liked.

"Is everything alright Mistress? You look upset," said a small black imp as he sat on top of the bookshelf.

"I'm more annoyed than upset, Zaptek. You messed up my tomes' order again," said the blood elf as she continued her task. After living away from Silvermoon for nearly the last two decades, she had at least become accustomed to living modestly compared to before. Simple black robes with purple trim were her attire. Her robes contrasted her orange-red hair that flowed down just past her shoulder blades with a blue and purple headband adorning it.

In the hut was as set of wood chairs and a decent sized table. In the far corner was a single person sized bed with a small wooden chest at its feet. A bear skin rug was situated in the center of the hut, with a place to set up a cooking fire on the right side of the wall. A lit torch in each of the compass points of the hut kept the place well lit.

Her staff resting at the head of the bed, however, was anything but modest. It was a wooden staff with a metal spike on its bottom tip, accented by a couple of locks of hair dangling by small bits of string between the bottom and middle of the weapon. What looked like a good sized animal skull with green eyes lit by an eerie green glow adorned the top of the staff with several spikes jutting from the skull. A couple of much smaller skulls hung by thin straps of material near the top of the staff as well.

"I apologize Mistress. I just think you'd find it more useful to keep them in the order I put them back in, that's all," said Zaptek.

"Well, please stop. You know how important my research is. I can't afford to waste time rearranging my tomes every two days for an hour," said the blood elf.

"I will refrain from doing so in the future, Mistress," said Zaptek. Finally getting the last book into order again, the elf looked up with her fiery green eyes at Zaptek.

"Look. I'm sorry Zaptek. I'm just under a lot of pressure at the moment. Our 'Warchief' is becoming increasingly harder to bear ever since Deathwing's fall. He's begun a full campaign to attack key Alliance targets despite the fact that only the orcs are itching to fight them," said the elf.

"I thought the Horde was at war with the Alliance?" asked Zaptek.

"We _are_ at war, but we've barely begun to recover from out struggles against Deathwing and his minions. He's making foolish choices just to satisfy his own bloodlust. Vol'jin took the Darkspear back to the Echo Isles a long time ago because of that reason. Some of the trolls stayed here, but they're mainly information gatherers for Vol'jin at this point," said the elf.

"What about the Dark Lady? And the recent addition of the goblins of Kezan?" asked Zaptek. The elf just huffed at the questions.

"Garrosh barely trusts Sylvanas after the whole Gilneas incident. He wants none of the undead doing anything important for him at the moment. Can't say I blame him, though. She did use the plague against his direct orders," said the elf.

"As for the goblins, they're happiest when tinkering on new machines and getting paid to do it. Of course, they're not going to object to building new war machines for Garrosh, at least not for the moment," said the elf.

"Hey, Asara. Ya home, sista?" called out a soft female voice from just outside her hut's doorway. A smile crossed the blood elf's face as she recognized the voice.

"Yes I am Laruta," said Asara. She turned around to watch as a blue-skinned female troll dressed in simple tan robes walked into her hut. The troll's bright red hair was done up in a giant Mohawk, matching her red eyes nicely. On her hip was a decent sized hand axe and strapped to her back was a simple steel shield.

"Spirits be praised I find ya so soon. I been worried about ya," said Laruta.

"What for?" asked Asara, genuinely confused.

"Ya know I tink of ya as family after ya saved my life in Vashj'ir. Ya saved all our lives dat day..." said Laruta, looking down at the ground.

"Laruta...I've never seen you act this way. What's troubling you so much?" asked Asara.

"Da spirits...Dey be talking to me a lot lately. Dey seem to tink something bad gonna be happening not too long from now. Your name be whispered in da warnings," said Laruta. Asara's face reflected fear for a very brief instant before she wiped it from her appearance.

"What kind of warnings are they telling you?" asked Asara.

"Dey be warning an evil long forgotten will surface soon, bringing chaos in its wake. Da weird ting be the spirits be saying this evil will come from somewhere in a land in da South Seas," said Laruta.

"What's weird about that?" asked Asara, looking a little relieved.

"Durin his reign as Warchief, Garrosh be sendin out all sorts a missions ta map all a Azeroth. Probably ta better prepare for his 'war', but dat be beside da point. Da point being der be no land in da South Seas," said Laruta.

"But then why are the spirits telling you it'll come from there?" asked Asara.

"I don be knowing, sista. But de spirits never told me anyting wrong before," said Laruta.

"Well, let us hope they are wrong this time," said Asara.

"I be hoping dey be, for your sake," said Laruta, a look of worry crossing her face.

"Hey, Felweaver! Get out here!" called a gruff male voice from outside the hut's entrance. Instantly getting an annoyed look on her face, the blood elf started walking outside. Stopping, she looked over at Laruta.

"You're welcome to leave before this starts," said Asara.

"It be alright. I'll go wit ya and be makin sure tings don't get too outta hand," said Laruta with a small grin. Asara returned the grin, feeling comforted that one of her best friends was going to stand at her side while she dealt with the person outside.

Stepping outside of the hut with Laruta right behind her, she came face to face with a middle-aged male orc dressed in a black, red, and gold robe with a blue hood over his head. He had a long, double braided red beard and yellow eyes and was flanked on either side by a couple of much younger male orcs dressed in simple gray robes.

"For the last time Arnak, my last name is Spellweaver, not 'Felweaver'," said Asara with an angry glare at the older orc.  
"You'll excuse me if I keep calling you that, blood elf. I think the name rather suits you," said Arnak with a smile.

"Just because I have the power to summon and control demons far greater than what your pitiful skills can do doesn't give you any right to poke fun at me," said Asara. This instantly caused the orc's grin to shift to one of anger.

"He only be doin dat cause he knows ya can't put him in his place without bringing down da Warchief's wrath," said Laruta. Asara looked back at the troll with a knowing look.

"True, but the same goes for him. After all, it's only because of what transpired in Vashj'ir that Garrosh reluctantly lets me stay in this city despite my status as both a blood elf and a warlock," said Asara. She smiled as she looked over at Arnak.

"Besides, if Garrosh caught wind of either of us using our fel powers inside his city, our heads would be on a pike, wouldn't they?" asked Asara. Arnak's anger faded and was replaced by his own look of annoyance.

"You speak truthfully, which is why I'll give you my message without causing an incident," said Arnak. "Garrosh knows you've been having 'associates' scouring Azeroth for any demonic tomes that they can find and he knows your…'collection' is growing. He's worried about what the goal of your research into the fel arts entails. He wishes to have an audience with you to discuss the issue."

"You can inform the Warchief that my research is not intended to bring about anything foreboding. He has nothing to fear from me," said Asara.

"You'll forgive me if I insist that you go see him in person…immediately," said Arnak.

"I tink ya best be doin what he be tellin ya ta do, sista," said Laruta, looking over at Asara. "Garrosh not be someone ya want ta have angry at ya."

"You don't have to tell me Laruta," said Asara, glancing back at her. She then returned her gaze to Arnak. "If you'll excuse me." She then started heading in the direction of Garrosh's throne room.

* * *

Garrosh Hellscream, Warchief of the Horde, stood up from his throne as another orc dressed in red armor with black trim walked into the throne room. The green skinned orc was still fairly young by orc standards, his black beard neatly kept on either side of his jaw line. But it was his light brown eyes that were his most dominating feature. They contained a look of fiery passion that spoke of someone with the experience of a much older man and unwavering loyalty.

"General Nazgrim. I was hoping I'd be paid a visit from you today. Report," said Garrosh as he walked to the top of the stairs leading to his throne. A giant animal skin map of the known world was laid out on the floor of the room, several Horde and Alliance ships' positions being shown by model ships.

"I am pleased to report that the battle at sea goes well, Warchief," said Nazgrim as he started walking down the middle of the map, motioning at a couple of the models set on the map.

"Our forces report decisive victories off the coasts of Tanaris and Tol Barad," said Nazgrim. Garrosh instantly flashed a devilish grin at the news.

"Alliance blood spills…This pleases me General," said Garrosh. Nazgrim remained stoic. He knew that the next news he was about to deliver would both please and anger Garrosh at the same time. The Warchief had been adamant that if the Alliance were to discover new places to set up ports of call before the Horde, he would be most displeased at the news.

"There's more…" said Nazgrim. "The other news I bring is from our forces in the South Seas. Apparently, they ran into an Alliance envoy, including King Wrynn's personal flagship, _The Vanguard_."

"And?" asked Garrosh, getting impatient.

"Our forces engaged and then chased the royal flagship till it ran aground," said Nazgrim. Instantly Garrosh's face reflected surprise. His ships in the South Seas had been mapping the entire area and so far nothing short of very small islands had been seen.

"Aground? Where?" asked Garrosh as he stepped down to the bottom step of his throne.

"Apparently, they discovered some massive, uncharted landmass. Our forces report that the land seems ominous due to the fact that the land is shrouded by dense mists," said Nazgrim.

"And yet despite all our mapping of the area, our forces missed this and let the Alliance get there first!?" shouted Garrosh, walking right up into the general's face.

"I apologize, Warchief. The southern fleet reports that this landmass wasn't in this area when they mapped it three months ago," said Nazgrim, taking a couple steps back.

"I don't care!" shouted Garrosh. "You will make this up to me, Nazgrim. Redirect the invasion fleets! You will take the best people you have and pave the way for our forces! Storm the land's shores and paint this new continent red with Alliance blood!"

"Understood, Warchief," said Nazgrim.

"Am I interrupting something?" asked a female voice from the throne room's entrance. Both orcs looked over to see Asara standing in the entranceway, a slight smile on her face at witnessing Garrosh's outburst.

"Ah…Spellweaver. You're timing is impeccable," said Garrosh in a normal speaking tone. "Enter." Asara walked into the main part of the room, glancing down at the war map displayed on the floor. Nazgrim stepped to the side of the room to watch the scene unfolding before him.

"Arnak Fireblade gave me your message, Warchief. Though I do wish you'd have sent someone else. We don't exactly see eye to eye," said Asara, coming to a stop in the middle of the room.

"I figured sending him was fitting considering what you two dabble in," said Garrosh. "Now then, explain to me why you are collecting these tomes. And do make it good because you know my patience with any of you warlocks is incredibly thin. Especially ones of the other races."

"I am searching for the answer to a problem, nothing more Warchief," said Asara. Garrosh arched an eye at the statement.

"What kind of problem?" asked Garrosh.

"A life threatening one. And if I don't find the answer soon, then my life is forfeit," said Asara. Garrosh smiled slightly at this.

"Well, to be honest, I say you have it coming to you for taking up the fel arts. All of you warlocks are nothing more than power hungry peons begging to have me put you to death anyways if you take one step out of line," said Garrosh. Asara's passive stance in the matter suddenly switched at hearing this.

"I never wanted the power to further my position in life or cause death and destruction. I made a pact to save the people I cared about, unlike someone else's father I can think of," said Asara. Garrosh's face instantly flashed rage.

"How _dare_ you speak to me that way, blood elf!?" shouted Garrosh as he grabbed Gorehowl from its resting place against his throne. Realizing instantly the situation had escalated from passive to out of control in one sentence, Nazgrim took a step in their direction as Garrosh started walking down the stairs towards Asara.

"Please excuse Asara's outburst, Warchief," said Nazgrim. Garrosh instantly focused his rage on his General.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut this whelp where she stands?" said Garrosh angrily.

"Because I want to take her as part of my crew for the mission you just gave me," said Nazgrim. "I fought beside her at Vashj'ir. She is a strong fighter and as loyal as I've seen them come. She will be a great help to my mission." Garrosh regarded the General for a few seconds, then nodded as his anger subsided.

"So be it," said Garrosh. He then looked over at Asara, staring her directly in her glowing green eyes. "Be thankful the good General here has my ear, whelp. Otherwise, your intestines would be strewn about the walls of my throne room as a lesson to others who would dare insult me. But cross me again and you die."

"I will keep that in mind, Warchief," said Asara.  
"Now get out of my throne room, elf. And never come in here again unless I summon you," said Garrosh. He then looked over at Nazgrim. "Dismissed General."

"By your leave, Warchief," said Nazgrim, saluting before he turned and walked out of the room, Asara right behind him. As the duo exited the building, they both started heading towards The Drag area of the city.

"You amaze me Asara," said Nazgrim. "I can't think of anyone other than you who would have the gall to do what you just did to Garrosh." Asara just huffed, a frown etching onto her face.

"No offense but Garrosh needs to be put in his place once in a while," said Asara. Nazgrim just sighed at the comment.

"Garrosh may be harsh and demanding, but I believe he knows what he's doing," said Nazgrim.

"So why did you stick your neck out like that?" asked Asara, looking over at Nazgrim. "You're lucky he didn't decide to skin us both alive."

"Because I owed you a debt for what happened in Vashj'ir. You saved my life that day, Asara. I had been extremely distrusting of you when we set out on that ship. After all, warlocks aren't exactly looked at in good favor, especially by my people. But you proved yourself to me that day that you were an honorable and courageous woman, willing to do anything to save others," said Nazgrim.

"Well, consider the debt paid, Nazgrim. After all, if you hadn't intervened, I'd probably be dead," said Asara.

"Just so you know, the next time you do something that crazy, I won't jump to your defense. Something like what I just did only works one time," said Nazgrim. Asara just smiled at hearing that.

"Hopefully, there won't be a 'next time'," said Asara.

"Let us hope," said Nazgrim as the two of them reached the entrance to the Cleft of Shadow area of the city. "Now then, I'm giving you two hours to prepare to depart. That'll give me enough time to gather the others I have in mind to take along."

"I'll make my preparations immediately then," said Asara.

"I'll also allow you to bring a companion if you so desire. Someone who can hold their own in a fight or at least be of constructive help in our venture," said Nazgrim.

"I have someone in mind. I'll see if she's willing to help," said Asara.

"Good. We'll meet at the wyvern stables in two hours," said Nazgrim as he walked towards the Valley of Honor.

"Till then," said Asara as she headed back down the hill leading back to her hut.

* * *

"Are you sure she's coming back? I hear most meetings with Garrosh go badly," said a female goblin as she sat at the table in Asara's hut alongside Laruta. She was dressed in rich blue and gray robes with gold trim and oversized shoulder pads. Her bluish green hair was done up in multiple ponytails, two on each side of the back of her hair.

A pair of high-tech looking light blue goggles was resting around her neck. Her violet eyes held that same shifty look that most goblins had, but still maintained a hint of trustworthiness to them. Topping off her look was an ornate golden staff with a fairly good sized light blue crystal set onto its tip.

"I be hopin so. Garrosh ain't one ta be givin a warlock like her much room for error in speakin ta him, dat be for sure," said Laruta, looking down slightly.

"Well, I hope she does. I would hate to have spent all that time tracking down this tome for nothing," said the goblin.

"Mistress is strong. Garrosh won't kill her. While he hates warlocks, he values strength as well," said Zaptek from his seat on top of the bookshelf. His ears then perked up. "I sense my mistress approaching!" Both the other occupants of the hut looked over at the doorway. Ten seconds later, Asara walked thru the hut door, looking no worse for the wear.

"Praise be ta da spirits, ya still be in one piece," said Laruta as she stood up. Asara offered a small smile in response.

"I have Nazgrim to thank for that," said Asara.

"Oh, I sense a story there," said the goblin with a gleeful look on her face. Asara regarded the goblin with a nod.

"And how's my favorite mage doing?" asked Asara.

"Oh same old, same old," said the goblin with a shrug. She then motioned at the tome resting on the table. "Found this yesterday way out in the Blasted Lands. Practically on the doorstep of the Dark Portal. Those demons never knew what hit them." The tome looked ordinary by the looks of it, with a slot set on its cover. Asara just smirked before looking the goblin in the eyes.

"I've told you before, Quarky. I pay the same amount if you found it in Outlands or right here in Orgimmar," said Asara. The goblin instantly switched demeanor to a downtrodden look.

"I know…You don't let me tell any flashy stories at all," said Quarky, a pout on her face.

"So where did you really find it?" asked Asara.

"Honestly, I found it in the Trade Prince's palace he's been building out there in Azshara among a large assortment of random books he was prepping for a personal library," said Quarky. Both Asara and Laruta got a confused look on their faces.

"Why would Gallywix want a demonic tome?" asked Asara. Quarky just shrugged in response.

"Heck if I know. Doubt he even realizes what the thing is. But still, he won't even realize the tome's missing. He may be the Trade Prince, but he doesn't keep track of anything of his own unless it's expensive," said Quarky.

"Well, thank you for liberating it from him for me," said Asara as she walked over to the chest next to her bed. Opening it up, she rummaged around a bit before closing it and turning back towards the goblin, several gold coins in her hand.

"Much appreciated Asara," said Quarky as she took the coins from Asara, slipping them into a pocket on her robe. She then started waving her hands around as she prepared a teleportation spell. "I'll see if I can track down another one in another couple of weeks or so."

"Before you take off, I'd like to ask you something Quarky," said Asara. The goblin stopped her spell.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" asked Quarky.

"I've been…recruited to go on an expedition to an apparent new continent discovered in the South Seas. General Nazgrim is leading the group and has given me permission to bring a companion. Would you like to join me?" said Asara.

"Me? Why not ask Laruta? She's been your friend longer than I have," said Quarky.

"True, but Nazgrim wanted me to bring someone I thought could really help us out. You're not only one of the most powerful mages I've ever met, but you're also a brilliant tinkerer," said Asara.

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me," said Quarky with a big grin. "I assume it pays well too?"

"Don't know, but I'm sure you'd be well compensated. After all, it isn't every day you get to help spearhead the Horde's arrival on a new, uncharted land," said Asara.

"Alright. I'm in. When do we leave?" asked Quarky.

"In about an hour and a half. Nazgrim said to meet at the wyvern stables at that time," said Asara.

"I'll be there. Just have to go make sure the traps in my home are set for intruders," said Quarky as she started to conjure her teleport spell again.

"Traps? Why ya be needin tings like dat?" asked Laruta. Quarky looked over at the troll with half closed eyes.

"Would you honestly trust other goblins to not steal from someone as high class in our society as myself when I'm gone for extended periods of time?" asked Quarky.

"Point taken," said Laruta.

"So the wyvern stables? I'll see ya there soon," said Quarky as a column of light suddenly engulfed her, both the light and the goblin vanishing almost in the same instant.

"Ya tink ya can be trustin dat goblin?" asked Laruta.

"Oh please. Quarky might act like all the other goblins when it comes to money, but she's trustworthy and has a good heart," said Asara.

"If ya say so," said Laruta. She then walked over to the hut's entrance, looking back at Asara. "Be careful out der sista. I be askin da spirits ta be watchin over ya."

"I'll do my best to stay safe," said Asara. Laruta nodded and then walked out of the hut.

* * *

"I'm just hoping these goblins haven't hyped the speed that _Hellscream's Fist_ can travel only to have it be a huge letdown," said Nazgrim as he, Asara, and Quarky rode on the backs of trained wyverns as the creatures landed on the deck of a brand new airship hovering above the Bladefist Bay docks just outside of Orgimmar.

"Ya gotta give us goblins more credit General," said Quarky as she dismounted her wyvern, Asara and Nazgrim following suit. Several orc soldiers were milling about the deck as well as several goblin engineers making final adjustments to the mechanical elements of the airship.

"Seems like a motley crew to me," said Asara as she noticed none of the orcs looked to be in a hurry to fall in line now that Nazgrim was on deck.

"Oh ye of little faith," said Nazgrim with a smirk. "Attention soldiers! General on deck! Fall in!" Instantly all of the orcs fell into single file line except for one female orc who was talking with a female undead near the engine housing. The female orc was dressed in the traditional garb of an orc warrior with a long brown braided ponytail but seemed to dismiss Nazgrim completely. Yet there was an air about her of a seasoned veteran.

The undead looked out of place amongst the goblins and orcs, but one look at her told Asara and Quarky exactly why she was brought along. The twin set of daggers on her hips was a dead giveaway that she was a rogue. A sense of deadly professionalism seemed to radiate from her as she continued talking with the female orc. Nazgrim noticed the two females talking instead of falling in line.

"Shokia…Kiryn…What are you talking about that is more important than listening to orders?" asked Nazgrim as he walked over to them.

"Discussing tactics, sir," said Shokia, the female orc as she saluted the General. "We don't know what we're going into and we're both worried we won't be prepared if we run into the remains of the Alliance fleet in the south."

"You two don't think this new airship will be enough?" asked Nazgrim, looking annoyed at the two girls.

"It's not very stealthy, General," said Kiryn, the female undead. "The engine is fairly loud and we're a pretty big target if the skies are clear of clouds to obscure us from the enemy."

"Don't you two worry. That's why I've brought along the best the Horde has to offer," said Nazgrim. "The Alliance won't stand a chance against us in a fight." Both of the girls looked unconvinced, but didn't push the issue further.

"General, sir! Preparations are complete. We can shove off anytime," said the head engineer as he came up from below deck. He was a male goblin with his light brown hair done up in a ponytail. A simple white shirt and brown shorts, gloves, and boots were all he wore compared to most of the other engineers wearing sophisticated looking goggles similar to Quarky's.

"Excellent work , Clutchpop. Take us out and headed towards the last known location of the Alliance envoy at maximum speed," said Nazgrim, looking over at the goblin.

"Will do, General. And no need to be formal with me. Call me Rivett," said the goblin. Nazgrim couldn't stop a small grin from forming on his face at the gesture of being informal with the goblin engineer.

"You heard the General boys! Maximum speed to coordinates RC-496!" shouted Rivett to the other goblins gathered on the deck. Each one gave acknowledgment as they went to their stations.


	3. Paw'don Village's Plight

**Paw'don Village's Plight**

As Cinder flew away from the Skyfire with Lily in tow, the pandaren looked back to see the gunship's aircraft begin descending to engage the Horde base below them. Closing her eyes and sighing, she returned her gaze towards the village the two were headed for. But as the structures of the village began to get close enough to make out details about the buildings, Lily suddenly realized the buildings looked amazingly similar to the homes and temples that were built by the pandaren living on Shenzin-Su.

"Where exactly…are we?" asked Lily.

"What's wrong?" asked Cinder, glancing back at his rider.

"Those structures look like pandaren structures. But…this isn't the Wandering Isle," said Lily.

"What do you think it means?" asked Cinder, returning his gaze forward.

"I don't know. Either way, land outside of the village. We don't want to scare the locals by just charging into the village commons," said Lily.

"Very well," said Cinder as he began to descend towards an apple orchard at the outskirts of the village. The trees were in full bloom as the twilight dragon landed amongst the beautiful landscape. Lily dismounted him. Looking at their surroundings, Lily noticed in the distance to the north was the rather large remains of a temple that looked ornate even in its ruined state.

"This place…feels familiar to me in a way. Like a dream I've dreamt before or perhaps a story I was told in my youth," said Lily as she continued to take in the sight of the temple. She looked back at the village in the distance to the east. "Even the village is oddly familiar looking."

"I've never seen anything like it before myself, but it all looks pristine in a way. Like the outside world has never touched it since an age far beyond what we might think," said Cinder.

"It certainly does," said Lily. She then started walking in the direction of the village. "Come. Let us make contact with the locals and see if they have any useful information we can use to find Anduin and the other survivors."

"This should be interesting," muttered Cinder under his breath as he followed after her. As the entrance to the village came into view, Lily ground to a halt. Cinder stopped as well, looking over at his friend.

"What's wrong?" asked Cinder. Lily had a stunned look contorted onto her face. Cinder followed her gaze to see something that took him by surprise. Walking out of the village in their direction were two male pandaren. They were approaching cautiously as if Lily and Cinder's presence had them somewhat spooked.

"It's not possible. Even pandaren that have left Shenzin-Su wouldn't settle down and make a brand new village on some uncharted landmass, especially if it wasn't here till recently," said Lily. By now the other pandaren had come within about thirty yards of the duo.

"Stranger," called out one of the male pandarens. He had black fur and was wearing a yellow and white outfit with what looked like a traditional pandaren straw hat on his head. In his right hand was a staff that looked similar to Lily's own weapon. "You come to our village riding on this great beast the likes of which we have never seen. We saw it take flight from the flying fortress above where the Horde have been building their structures. Tell us. Do you come to do us harm?"

"I apologize if we have scared you, mister. I am Lily Silentpaw and this is my friend Cinder. We come in peace. We are here to find a missing young man and the rest of the crew of a ship that ran aground here not long ago," said Lily. Cinder morphed himself back into his high elf form.

"It is true, pandaren. We do not seek to harm you or anyone else," said Cinder.

"What sort of creature are you? You change from a great beast into a much smaller creature the likes of which we have never seen," said the pandaren.

"I am a dragon, sir," said Cinder.

"A dragon? Interesting…" said the pandaren as he stroked his chin. "We have heard of 'dragons' written in ancient texts from before the last emperor ruled our land." The first pandaren then looked back at the other pandaren.

"Seer Yong. Do these two truly have no ill will towards us?" asked the black furred pandaren, looking over at the much older male pandaren. This one had light gray fur, a matching beard with a braided mustache, and was wearing a tan outfit similar to the other pandaren. But while his body showed signs of age getting the better of him, his eyes shone with a look of great wisdom and a youthfulness greatly misleading to his physical state.

The older pandaren stepped up to Lily and Cinder. Both of them stood still as the elderly pandaren gazed into first Lily's eyes for nearly half a minute before turning to Cinder and repeating the process. Turning back towards the other pandaren, the elderly pandaren had a warm smile on his face.

"It is true. These two have no ill intentions towards us," said Seer Yong. A smile crossed the first pandaren's face as he relaxed.

"Well then, I bid you welcome to Paw'don Village friends. I am Mayor Sunke Khang. When the mists fell, we knew it wouldn't be long till outsiders found Pandaria. But those 'Horde' animals left us afraid of what would happen if more outsiders came. They have proven to be a dishonorable, yet dangerous force," said the pandaren. Shocked instantly lit on Lily's face.

"Wait a second…Did you say 'Pandaria'?" asked Lily.

"Why yes, that is the land you now stand upon," said Mayor Khang with a questioning look on his face. Lily fell to her knees as she gazed at the ground.

"I don't believe it. This is the long lost homeland of my race," said Lily. Mayor Khang looked over at Cinder with a questioning gaze.

"Is your friend alright?" asked Mayor Khang. Lily slowly stood back up.

"Forgive me, Mayor Khang. I'm a pandaren from the Wandering Isle, also known as Shenzin-Su," said Lily. Now it was the mayor's turn to have shock written on his face.

"Did you say…'Shenzin-Su'?" asked Mayor Khang.

"I did," said Lily.

"Shenzin-Su…The sea turtle of Liu Lang, the first pandaren explorer. That is a name that has only existed in stories for hundreds of years," said Mayor Khang. "Pandaria has believed Shenzin-Su and the pandaren that had left with him had long since perished. Shenzin-Su has not been seen on these shores in hundreds of years."

"Shenzin-Su and the descendants of Liu Lang are still very much alive," said Lily.

"That is comforting to know," said Mayor Khang as he waved at the two to follow him and Seer Yong. "Come. Let us see what our small village can do to assist you and your friend." A smile crossed Lily's face as she and Cinder started following them back into the village.

* * *

"I said all units report back. We've softened them up enough for a ground assault," said Admiral Rogers into the Skyfire's radio communicator that connect the gunship with its aerial assault units. Rodgers looked over at Rell. "Are the SI:7 agents ready to go?"

"We are Admiral. Once your forces have engaged the front lines, my team will sabotage them from behind. In the confusion, we'll take their leader," said Rell. Rodgers smiled in response to the news.

"Good. Let's get down there and give them hell," said Rodgers.

* * *

As Lily and the others arrived back at the entrance to Paw'don Village, a young, male, black-furred pandaren dressed in an orange and green outfit with a parted beard and hair done in a top knot was arguing with another male pandaren. This one was dressed in brown and light tan battle armor and looked older by the looks of it with his gray hair done in a ponytail.

"Listen to reason, Chut. If we don't get our harvest back then our village won't have anything to trade for other supplies with the neighboring villages," said the black-furred pandaren.

"And I have told you already Teng that protecting the village is my primary concern. After what the Horde have done, I can't afford to leave the village unguarded," said the older pandaren.

"Arg! Then what would you have us do, Chut? Wait for the winter months to come and for us to starve instead?" asked Teng.

"I see you still haven't given up on your cider, have you, Teng," said Khang as the quartet walked up to the two arguing pandaren.

"I'm just trying to look out for the future of our small village, Mayor. That is all," said Teng. But his frustration gave way to curiosity when he saw the two people with his fellow villagers. "But for the moment I will give up on my point. Who might you two be?"

"I am Lily Silentpaw and this is my friend Cinder," said Lily, motioning to the high elf.

"Teng Applebloom. A pleasure. And my stubborn friend here is our village's protector, Chut Sri Nu," said Teng, motioning at the older pandaren.

"Nice to meet you," said Lily, bowing to the older pandaren.

"Always nice to meet new people, so long as they have no ill will towards us," said Chut, returning the bow. He then eyed Cinder cautiously. "Your friend is a person we have never seen the likes of in Pandaria before."

"More so than you know my friend," said Cinder with a slight smile on his face.

"These two came here from that flying fortress and are here to find the people of a ship that ran aground somewhere nearby," said Khang.

"I was not aware of such a thing happening nearby," said Teng. "Perhaps someone else in the village knows of what you seek." It was then Lily noticed something that had missed her gaze till now. In the window of the home closest to them, she saw a female pandaren crying as who was presumably her husband held her in his arms trying to comfort her. Looking around them further revealed to her that something was seriously wrong.

Most of the villagers that she could see looked downtrodden and full of sadness. The forge up the hill off to their left, despite being fully ready to accept the work of its blacksmith, had its crafter sitting off to the side with little interest in performing his work.

"Excuse me, Mayor Khang. May I ask a question, if it is not too intrusive for someone you just met?" asked Lily. Having watched Lily's gaze look around them, Khang only sighed.

"I suppose it's obvious to the trained eye that our village has seen better days," said Khang with a look of sadness on his face.

"What has happened?" asked Lily.

"Two days ago, our village was attacked by the Horde. They didn't use brute force to take what they wanted from us like we expected them to do. Instead, the orcs and these shambling, rotted creatures that were with them took several of our cubs captive to try and force us to surrender the supplies we were not willing to part with before. Including my little girl Hazel," said Khang.

"That's terrible!" cried Lily. Anger crossed Khang's face before he spoke again.

"I knew the Horde were desperate for supplies, but to take our children as bargaining chips!? How can those orcs be that low?" asked Khang.

"A desperate man will do desperate things to survive, Mayor," said Lily.

"True words, young one," said Chut. "But that does not change the gravity of the situation we now find ourselves in. Still, we sent word to the Shado-Pan Monastery right after the attack. Members of their order should be arriving from Kun-Lai anytime now. They will help us get our children back."

"Who are the Shado-Pan?" asked Cinder.

"They are Pandaria's finest collection of warriors. They work in the shadows to safeguard us pandaren from whatever may threaten us," said Khang.

"They sound rather enigmatic to me," said Lily.

"To us normal pandaren, they very much are," said Teng. "But if anyone can save the children of our village, it's the Shado-Pan."

"If you won't turn me away, I would like to help save your-" said Lily, suddenly freezing as a wave of uneasiness washed over her. Years of meditation had greatly heightened her natural senses, and right now she could feel something wasn't right.

"Is everything alright? You look concerned," asked Khang.

"Do you feel that Cinder?" asked Lily. She knew a dragon's natural senses would be heightened as well. Right now she wanted confirmation that her feelings weren't misplaced.

"Yes…I do. That unnerving sense of doubt that now wafts in the air. What is causing it?" asked Cinder. Suddenly several large, swirling black pools of smoke started to appear at random points on the ground while hissing and growling noises echoed from within their dark depths.

"Everyone! Something terrible is about to come out of those smoke pools! Get back!" shouted Lily. The other pandaren retreated back into the safety of the village as Lily got into a fighting stance. Cinder raised his hands into a casting position, ready to unleash his draconic magic on whatever was about to emerge from the smoke.

Suddenly, out of the ground, a somewhat small black and white creature resembling a blob with arms emerged from each of the smoke pools. Each one either growled sharply or hissed at the two of them.

"What sort of evil creatures are these things? They each exude a sense of doubt around them that tickles at the back of my mind like they're trying to get a foothold of some kind," said Lily.

"I don't know, but they won't be around long enough to cause any trouble," said Cinder as violet flames ignited around his hands. Flinging his right hand at the nearest creature, a purple bolt of fire shot from the high elf's hand. The bolt slammed into the creature as it gave a shrill cry of pain before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"At least they are weak," said Lily as she charged the nearest creature to her, leaping into the air and landing on top of it with a flying kick. The creature let out the same shrill cry before it too vanished in a puff of smoke. The remaining creatures began to growl loudly as they started to charge the two of them.

"Stay back Lily. I will handle them," said Cinder. Lily nodded and retreated behind Cinder. The high elf clasped his hands together, both of them engulfing in violet fire. As the creatures came within a few feet of being in range to attack Cinder, the high elf unleashed a wave of purple fire from his hands that washed over the creatures. Each one shrilled loudly before vanishing into a cloud of smoke. However, instead of dissipating like its predecessors, the smoke left by these creatures instead started to converge and coalesce.

"What is happening?" asked Lily as the two watched the gathering smoke.

"Nothing good, I'll bet," said Cinder. The uniting smoke started to take on a physical form as a much larger black and white creature took form. This one had spindly spikes on its back and hovered in the air without legs underneath its body. Two thin arms with clawed hands stretched out as the creature cried out in anger at the high elf.

"Don't think merging yourselves will save you," said Cinder as he shot another bolt of fire at the creature. The creature raised its arms to shield itself from the attack as the firebolt hit and exploded harmlessly off its hide. Growling, the creature then advanced on Cinder and swung with its right arm. The high elf barely dodged to the side as the attack missed. The creature turned to continue advancing on Cinder, but in doing so took its gaze off of Lily. That was all the opening the pandaren needed.

"Be gone vile creature!" shouted Lily as she ran up to the creature and thrust her left palm hard into the creature's side. This knocked the creature away from Cinder and to the ground. Lily then leaped high above the creature, gathering blue chi energy in her palms as she held them to the right side of her body.

She then threw the ball of chi energy at the creature, the energy colliding with the creature as it cried out in pain before its body exploded into smoke. However, unlike the last time, the smoke dissipated till it vanished. Landing on the ground, Lily instantly looked over at Cinder with concern on her face.

"Are you alright? Did it hurt you?" asked Lily. Cinder shook his head in response.

"I'm fine," said Cinder.

"What were those creatures and why did they give off that noticeable sense of doubt when they were alive?" asked Lily.

"Valid questions for outsiders," said a deep male voice from behind them. Turning around, they saw a male pandaren with midnight black fur flying down from the skies on the back of a jet-black, serpent-like creature. But when they saw how the pandaren was dressed, they both knew this pandaren was anything but a local villager.

He was dressed in a dark gray and brown outfit wearing a traditional pandaren hat set with a golden emblem on its top. A gray and golden ornamental tiger face was situated on his right shoulder. Wrapped around the bottom third of his face was a red bandana.

"Those creatures you fought were the results of these 'Alliance' people having doubts about killing the people trying to get to shore in cold blood," said the pandaren as he dismounted the serpent, collecting its reigns in his hand as he led the creature along with him towards the two outsiders.

"What do you mean?" asked Cinder.

"Those creatures are negative emotions made manifest. Anger, fear, hatred, doubt, violence, and despair. Each negative emotion can trigger the appearance of sha related to the negative emotion from the very land itself," said the pandaren as he secured the serpent creature's reigns at a nearby hitching post.

"I see. So the land reacts to negative emotions and spawns these 'sha' in response. Have they ever caused any serious problems?" asked Lily.

"Nothing too serious that I have witnessed. At least not till today," said the pandaren.

"What do you mean?" asked Lily.

"Till today, the sha only spawned once in a blue moon and even then nowhere near the number that has appeared along the coast where the Horde and Alliance were fighting. Thankfully the Alliance is willing to take responsibility for unleashing them and are currently clearing the area of the foul creatures," said the pandaren. Khang came running out of the village, quickly arriving next to the mysterious pandaren and bowing deeply to him.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Lord Zhu," said Khang as he rose back into a standing position. "When we petitioned help from the Shado-Pan, we never would've expected to see you answer our call."

"This situation that this…'Horde' has created warranted our best to respond, so I decided I would handle the matter personally," said the pandaren.

"Wait a second. You're the leader of the Shado-Pan?" asked Lily.

"I am. My name is Taran Zhu. I've lead the Shado-Pan ever since I became an adult," said Taran.

"Forgive me if my trust is misplaced, but are you alone enough to save our children," asked Khang.

"Even I am not capable of a rescue operation of this size alone. I made sure to bring some help," said Taran. "The best of the Shado-Pan elite is currently scouting their base up in the old ruins. She should be able to spot all their weaknesses, allowing us to mount a successful rescue operation."

"I just hope you didn't bring 'The Firecracker' with you. No offense, Lord Zhu, but her reputation of wanting to set every enemy ablaze that she sees might hinder us more than help," said Chut. Taran chuckled slightly.

"You need not worry Chut. Fei Li is great at what she does, but she's more of a liability than a help on this kind of mission where stealth and guile will win the day. No, I brought Taoshi with me. My best scout and assassin. Her skills are best suited for this task," said Taran.

"I have heard of Taoshi, but I have never had the pleasure of meeting her," said Khang.

"That is partially because she stays in the Monastery most of the time, only venturing out when she is needed elsewhere. The other part is because she knows how to keep an extremely low profile when she is away from the Monastery," said Taran.

"I guess it makes sense. A master assassin does have to keep one's self hidden in the shadows most of the time," said Khang.

"Though sometimes there is no need for staying in those shadows," said a female voice directly behind Khang, causing him to jump slightly in surprise as he whipped around to look at the person the voice belonged to.

A black furred, female pandaren dressed in a blue and red uniform with a large golden emblem for a belt buckle now stood in front of Khang. Her long black hair was done up in a large ponytail with several red bands going down the ponytail at certain increments. Attached to her belt were two sais.

But it was her eyes that caught Lily's attention. They looked cold and calculating, with no emotion behind them. Looking a little deeper, Lily could see that cold emotionless feelings weren't all dominating. There was a softer emotional side hidden deep down, but she could tell it rarely showed itself. No, this pandaren was business before anything else.

"Report Taoshi. Did you find out what we need?" asked Taran.

"I've located the cubs. They are being held in the eastern courtyard. However, there are several issues that trying to extract them successfully will bring up," said Taoshi.

"Such as what?" asked Lily. Taoshi looked over at her with a glare but held it only for a moment before returning her attention to Taran.

"There are magical eyes guarding the children. Not only that, but the entire complex is swarming with these orcs and what I can only describe as walking dead people dressed in armor. Also, there are siege weapons of some kind contained on the upper platform ready to fire below at a moment's notice," said Taoshi.

"What truly presents a problem is there is a large floating creature with a single large eyeball in the middle of its face in the ruins. While the orcs have it bound in a stasis prison of some kind, it nonetheless spotted me all the way on the other side of the complex even thru my stealth techniques. I managed to slip away before they were able to locate me, however," said Taoshi.

"It sounds like they have employed a large beholder demon to watch for any signs of intruders approaching the ruins," said Cinder as he stroked his chin. "Rather smart on their part, though I doubt the creature likes being bound into servitude."

"A demon you say?" asked Taran, looking back at Cinder. "We have never seen the likes of an actual demon in Pandaria before. We have used the term "demon" to describe other creatures, but never have we encountered a creature that was, in fact, a true demon before."

"I can only assume they have a fairly powerful warlock in their ranks if they were able to summon and entrap a demon that powerful," said Cinder. "That will complicate things even further. Warlocks are known to have powerful corrupting powers at their disposal that drain your very life essence away till you wither and die."

"Lord Zhu. As much as I hate to say this, with just the two of us I don't see any way possible to save the children without putting them all at risk," said Taoshi.

"Cinder and I can help if you will have us," said Lily. Taoshi again glared over at Lily.

"Forgive my bluntness, but amateurs would only create more problems for us than solve," said Taoshi. Lily's calm demeanour turned to one of annoyance at the senior Shado-Pan's verbal jab at her and Cinder.

"I am no amateur. I have been fully trained in the windwalker style of fighting. Master Shang Xi praised me as his best pupil for several years before I left Shenzin-Su," said Lily. She looked over at Taran with a look of determination in her eyes. "Lord Zhu, please spar with me so I may show your associate I am no amateur."

"You must be joking outsider. You wouldn't last ten seconds against Lord Zhu," said Taoshi angrily.

"Calm yourself Taoshi," said Taran in response. He then looked over at Lily. "I will honor your request. I personally want to know if you can be of help to us or not."

"You can't be serious Lord Zhu," said Taoshi, clearly shocked my her lord's declaration. "Not even Master Snowdrift's best pupils have sparred with you before. Why allow an outsider to do so?"

"Because I saw her defeat a fairly powerful sha when I first arrived in the village. She is no amateur and her skills might help us," said Taran. He then leaped away from Lily to about a ten-meter distance. He then bowed to her before setting himself into a fighting stance. "Now then, let me see just how strong you are outsider."

"Thank you for indulging me Lord Zhu," said Lily before returning his bow. She then took her own fighting stance.

"It would be wise to stand back I think," said Cinder to the other pandaren. The others nodded in agreement before backing away from the two combatants. Several seconds ticked by, but neither fighter moved from their spot.

"What's wrong outsider? Afraid to come at me?" asked Taran.

"I could ask the same of you, Lord Zhu," said Lily with a smirk. "You have a great defense. One of the best I have ever seen."

"I return the compliment. There aren't many that can put up a defense that I find hard to see weaknesses in," said Taran.

"Well, one of us has to make a move or this fight will never get started, so I suppose I will go first," said Lily.

"By all means," said Taran. Lily then charged Taran, throwing a right palm strike at him. But Taran spun away and grabbed her wrist before throwing her arm even further behind him. This caused Lily's momentum to keep her going further into the strike than she had wanted to do. Taran began to swing a left-hand chop towards Lily's neck.

However, instead of fighting the falling motion she was now in, Lily used the extra momentum caused by Taran's move to flip onto her right hand, spinning and throwing a right kick at Taran's attacking arm and knocking it away before it could even come close to connecting. A surprised Taran recoiled his hand in response, being forced to take a couple of steps away from Lily as she flipped back onto her feet and whipped around to face him again.

"You surprise me outsider. There are very few who could have turned my counter-strike back at me like that. We do not need to continue. I have seen the value of having your help," said Taran. Lily glanced over at Taoshi, only to smile inwardly at what she saw. The master assassin had a stunned look of disbelief on her face. But she was quick to recover, her face returning to its stoic look almost instantly.

"Well, I suppose my initial thoughts about your skills was unwarranted. If Lord Zhu sees the value of you helping us, then I will not argue his judgment," said Taoshi.

"It looks like the Alliance outsiders are finally making their way to the village," said Taran as he saw dozens of humans in armor walking towards the village from the orchard, many of them carrying injured. Rell walked up to Taran as the others began to spread out amongst the village commons to start tending to the wounded.

"Pandaren. We have done as we pledged. Those creatures that were spawned because of us have been dealt with. However, having never fought such creatures we sustained a fair number of injuries. I'd like to request aid in helping our wounded," said Rell.

"Is that alright?" asked Khang as he looked over at Taran.

"Mayor, you may give these soldiers quarters at your discretion, but we are _not_ picking sides. This is little more than a race war between these two factions. We will not get caught up in it," said Taran with a stern tone.

"Lord Zhu. Rell and his people might be able to help us free the children. They will know best how to combat the orcs. If nothing else they can be a diversion while we save them," said Lily.

"How so? All I've seen them do is cause destruction," said Taran.

"Free children? What exactly is going on?" asked Rell. Lily filled Rell in on what was going on, the night elf SI:7 agents taking note of everything Taoshi had witnessed.

"So do you think you can be of help to us?" asked Lily.

"Of course we are willing to help. Fighting adults is one thing, but taking children captive is just monstrous," said Rell. He then looked over at Taran. "Lord Zhu, please allow the Alliance to make amends for what happened on the shoreline today. We would be honored to help you recover the kidnapped children."

"I will say for the record that this is against my better judgment, but right now we can use whatever help we can get. The odds are too stacked against us to refuse your aid," said Taran.

"Then let us find a place to discuss our strategy," said Rell.

"The local inn will suit our needs. I shall take us there," said Taran as he turned and started walking deeper into the village, the others following him.


End file.
